SOP 2.1.1

R. 7/1/05

SWIFT ADOPTION TEAMS

COA STANDARDS:

  • S14.3 Adoption Services - Services for the Child

LEGAL AUTHORITY:

  • KRS 199.565 Statewide swift adoption procedures; protocol; teams; quarterly reports

PROCEDURES:

The Cabinet maintains a written protocol for the development of a Swift Adoption Team in each region. The mission of the Swift Adoption Team is to expedite the achievement of a finalized adoption. The Service Region Administrator (SRA) or designee establishes a Swift Adoption Team for every child whose goal is adoption. The Swift Adoption Team Chair convenes the initial meeting within ten (10)working days of the notification of theestablished goal of adoption (Link to SOP 7C.10.3). SWIFT Meetings are held at a minimum of every six months for each child with the goal of adoption. Interim meetings are held if the needs of the child require further review. Upon receiving notice from the SSW that theDCBS-84, Child Profile is in TWIST, the Swift chair runs a match in TWISTto determine if there are potential adoptive homes available for the child. (Note: The Swift Chair does not run a match if the foster parent or other resource will adopt) The SWIFT Adoption Team adheres to policies regarding ICWA and the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act (Link to SOP 7C.3).

The Swift Adoption Team consists of, but is not limited to a:

  1. Swift Adoption Team Chair
  2. Social Service Worker (SSW);
  3. Family Services Office Supervisor (FSOS);
  4. Recruitment and Certification (R&C) Family Services Office Supervisor;
  5. Regional Foster/Adoption Specialist;
  6. Regional Attorney;
  7. Foster parents, PCC foster parents and staff; and,
  8. Other appropriate persons, including SNAP specialists, therapists, etc.

The Swift Adoption Team and Chair:

  1. Monitors the progress of the child's case through TPR and adoption finalization by conducting Swift Adoption Team Meetings as needed.
  2. Identifies barriers that will delay or impede the timely adoption of the child including:

(a)Biological family issues

(b)Absent parent search

(c)Court issues

(d)Foster parent adoption issues

(e)Sibling issues

(f)Unresolved separation and loss issues

(g)Adoptive family issues

(h)Appeals process

(i)Internal System Issues

(j)Disruptions, or any other identified barrier

  1. Utilizes resources and develops an action plan to eliminate barriers to permanency for each child.
  2. Conducts a review of the child's history and explores the current foster home, any previous foster parents, teachers, counselors, scout leaders, or any other community resource that has a link to the child as a potential adoptive resource.
  3. Consults with SNAP staff when a child is designated as "hard to place" or when a child has no current placement possibilities to coordinate recruitment efforts.
  4. Refer unresolved barriers or issues to the regional Continuous Quality Improvement teams, SRA or designee, or Central Office staff as appropriate.
  5. Completes Swift tracking in TWIST and reviews the 202Swift Adoption report with regional management staff to identify regional trends and improve service delivery.
  6. Includes the designated SNAP staff in the Swift Team and consults with SNAP staff regarding recruitment efforts.

The SSW documents:

  1. All information from as a result of the Swift Adoption Team meetings in the case record (TWIST screens).
  2. Efforts to explore placement options for the child including foster parent adoption on the DCBS-84.

The Swift Chair, upon notification of the goal change:

  1. Requests the DCBS-84 from the SSW be entered into TWIST.
  2. Convenes the initial meeting of the child’s Swift Team within ten (10) working days.

Within ten (10) working days of notification that the DCBS-84 has been completedin TWIST, the Swift Chair:

  1. Assesses the availability of approved adoptive homes by conducting a match in TWIST;
  2. Makes a determination as to whether the child may be considered as “hard to place”; and,
  3. Notifies SNAP staff that the child is designated “hard to place” and that they should be a part of the Swift Team.